Press Releases
Wyden, Warren Call for Investigation of IRS Location Tracking Surveillance Program
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., today requested an inspector general investigation of the Internal Revenue Service's use of a commercial location tracking service without a court order, after agency officials confirmed the existence of the program this summer. The IRS criminal investigations unit (IRS-CI) paid for access to a commercial surveillance database containing location data from millions of Americans' mobile phones. In a call with … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Prohibit Federal Law Enforcement Officers From Wearing Camouflage Patterns in the U.S.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 32 of their Senate Democratic colleagues, today introduced legislation to prohibit federal law enforcement officers from wearing camouflage patterns in the United States in most cases, since they can easily be confused for military personnel or even extremist para-military groups when doing so. General Mark A. Milley stated at a House Armed Services Committee hearing in July: "You want a clear definition between … Continue Reading
September 24, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Senate Colleagues Introduce Bill To Stop Trump Administration’s Political Interference In COVID-19 Response
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 32 of their Senate Democratic colleagues, have introduced the Science and Transparency Over Politics (STOP) Act, legislation to fight back against political interference by the Trump administration in the work of experts and the nation's public health agencies to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. "More than 200,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus-more than in any other developed nation-not because of bad … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Introduce Legislation to Defend Property Owners’ Rights from Eminent Domain Claims for Natural Gas Pipelines
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today introduced their legislation that would strengthen the rights of landowners facing eminent domain claims from private companies exploiting public interest provisions to confiscate property in Oregon and nationwide for natural gas pipeline development. The bills, which Wyden and Merkley first announced in August, come in response to the natural gas industry's increased use of eminent domain for pipeline development and the failure … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Push Federal Agencies to Respond to COVID Needs, Make Masks and Gloves Reimbursable Under FSA Guidelines
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden are pushing the Internal Revenue Service and the Office of Personnel Management to voice workers' concerns over the continued inflexibility of Health Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) for workers, including those in the federal government. Currently, workers who are following CDC guidelines by wearing personal protective equipment in their workplaces are not able to receive reimbursements for masks and gloves without a … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Wyden, Merkley, Gillibrand Introduce Bill To End Long, Unreasonable Lines at Polling Places and Restore Voting Rights
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., introduced legislation to end hours-long lines at polling places that suppress hundreds of thousands of Americans' votes, and to restore our Constitutional rights to vote in free and fair elections. Studies estimate that nearly 3 million voters waited more than 30 minutes to vote in 2018, and that more than 500,000 Americans were denied the ability to vote because of long lines, with … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Applaud House Passage of Legislation to Address the Murder and Abduction of Native Women and Girls
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today applauded the House passage of Savanna's Act-legislation to combat the epidemic of murdered and missing Native women and girls by improving the federal government's response to the emergency. The legislation was passed by the Senate with bipartisan support on March 11, 2020, and is now headed to the president's desk. "Murder rates for Native women are 10 times that of the national average," said Merkley. "Today's … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Walden, Merkley, Wyden Applaud House Passage of Bill to Rename Bend VA Clinic after Robert Maxwell
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Representative Greg Walden (R-OR) and?Senators Jeff Merkley?(D-OR)?and Ron Wyden?(D-OR) applauded the House passage of a bill introduced by the delegation to rename the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic in Bend after Robert Maxwell, a World War II veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient who lived in Bend.?? At the time of Maxwell's passing, he was the oldest Medal of Honor recipient in the nation and one of four remaining veterans from World War II to be … Continue Reading
September 23, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Senate Colleagues Introduce Resolution Recognizing Children’s Fundamental Rights and Climate Recovery Planning
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden teamed up with Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-CT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today to introduce a resolution to protect the fundamental rights of the nation's children in the face of climate chaos' increasingly destructive effects-which include recent raging wildfires and catastrophic hurricanes. The resolution was also introduced today in the U.S. House … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020
Oregon Delegation Presses FEMA for Wildfire Aid with Removal and Disposal of Hazardous Waste and Solid Waste Debris
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden and U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio today led Sen. Jeff Merkley, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader and Suzanne Bonamici in urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide aid for removing and disposing hazardous materials and solid waste debris during the ongoing response and recovery to the wildfires that have devastated Oregon. The lawmakers' letter to FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor comes as Oregon first responders and firefighters continue … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020
Merkley, Wyden Announce $3.7 Million in Federal Funds for Railway Safety Upgrade for Willamette Valley Passengers and Businesses
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced that $3.7 million in federal funding is headed to Oregon to finance a critical rail upgrade for Amtrak and freight services in the Willamette Valley. "Between the unprecedented wildfires and their hazardous smoke and this pandemic-Oregonians are fighting crises on many fronts," said Merkley. "While we address these crises, we also need to keep building a strong foundation for a prosperous future. That … Continue Reading
September 22, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Walden Applaud House Passage of Legislation to Correct Historic Travesty Inflicted on the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with U.S. Representative Greg Walden, today applauded the House passage of the 1865 Treaty Nullification Act, legislation that would finally nullify the fraudulent Treaty with Middle Oregon Tribes, which prohibited members of the Warm Springs Tribe from leaving their reservation and relinquished all of their off-reservation rights. The bill has already been passed by the Senate and is now headed to the President's … Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Urge Investigation of Alleged Forced Hysterectomies at ICE Facility
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Merkley have joined more than 40 other senators to call on the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general to expeditiously investigate a whistleblower complaint alleging forced hysterectomies at the Irwin County Detention Center (ICDC) in Ocilla, Ga. "Forced sterilizations infringe on reproductive rights and autonomy," Wyden, Merkley and their colleagues wrote. "To understand whether such violations may have been committed against … Continue Reading
September 21, 2020
Oregon Delegation Pushes Federal Emergency Management Agency for Urgently Needed Housing Assistance as State Reels from Unprecedented Wildfire Damage
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with U.S. Representatives Peter DeFazio, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader, and Suzanne Bonamici, are pressing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deploy robust transitional housing options to ensure affordable, stable housing as communities begin to rebuild in the wake of unprecedented wildfire damage. "With several large fires still burning across the state, the full scale of damage will not be known for … Continue Reading
September 18, 2020
Wyden Condemns Trump Wealth Test For Immigrants
Washington, D.C. - Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today condemned a decision by the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to allow the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deny visas and green cards to certain immigrants who use key safety net programs, including Medicaid and SNAP. "It is outrageous and cruel to impose a wealth test on immigrants in the middle of the pandemic," Wyden said. "Workers across the country are already struggling … Continue Reading
September 18, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Colleagues Urge Trump to Work With Congress to Provide Emergency Rental Assistance and Protections
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with 30 of their Senate colleagues, are pushing President Trump to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis to enact legislation that provides the emergency assistance and protections renters need to stay in their homes. Millions of children and youth are at risk of being evicted from their homes due to the Trump administration's refusal to support critical rental assistance and relief measures to protect their health … Continue Reading
September 18, 2020
Merkley, Wyden, Walden Applaud Senate Passage of Bill to Rename Bend VA Clinic After Decorated WWII Veteran
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, along with Representative Greg Walden, today applauded the Senate passage of a bill introduced by the delegation to rename the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic in Bend after Robert Maxwell, a World War II veteran and Medal of Honor Recipient who lived in Bend. At the time of Maxwell's passing, he was the oldest Medal of Honor recipient in the nation and one of four remaining veterans from World War II to be … Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
Wyden, Manchin, Cantwell Introduce Legislation to Help Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., today introduced legislation to help prevent the blistering and destructive infernos destroying homes, businesses and livelihoods and becoming all too common as the climate crisis grows. The National Prescribed Fire Act of 2020 would support pre-fire season controlled burns as an essential, science-based strategy for reducing hazardous fuels to mitigate the worst effects of wildfire. The … Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
Wyden Leads 43 Western Lawmakers in Calling for Increased Federal Funds to Support Comprehensive Wildfire Response and Recovery
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with 8 Senators and 35 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, today asked Senate and House leaders to replenish and increase funding for wildfire response and recovery in any upcoming spending package, as well as pass an additional federal relief package - known as a "disaster supplemental" - as massive infernos continue to rage in the West. Due to Wyden's successful efforts to end the irresponsible budget practice of "fire … Continue Reading
September 17, 2020
Wyden, Merkley Demand FCC Act Now to Connect Students to Online Learning
Washington, DC - U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today strongly urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to immediately use the E-Rate program to provide internet connectivity to students at home in Oregon and nationwide. "The FCC has the power to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on our most vulnerable families," Wyden and Merkley wrote FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a letter along with 36 of their colleagues. "We now urge you in the strongest possible terms to utilize … Continue Reading
